Reaccelerating Convergence in Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe – The Role of Governance and Institutions

Published: 2/5/2017 Modified: 14/7/2017

Croatian National Bank (HNB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are jointly organizing a high-level conference “Reaccelerating Convergence in Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe – The Role of Governance and Institutions.” Speakers will include IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde, Minister of Finance of Croatia Zdravko Marić, HNB Governor Boris Vujčić, as well as Anders Åslund of the Atlantic Council, Servaas Deroose of the European Commission and others.

Over the past 25 years, Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe has closed notably income gaps relative to Western Europe. However, income convergence has slowed significantly after the global financial crisis. The conference will take stock of the country’s past convergence experience and current growth challenges, highlight the countries’ experiences with building institutions and their role for equitable and sustainable growth, and discuss potential ways to achieve durable improvements in institutions.